Health care in Stawell has a varied history, with least seven private hospitals on record, as well as the three general hospitals in the history of Stawell-Pleasant Creek area.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The three general hospitals include the tent hospital on the Goldfields, the Pleasant Creek Hospital and the current Stawell Hospital.
The seven private hospitals that we have found reference to in old newspapers date back to January 1868 and include:
- "St. Leonards" Private Hospital at 27 Scallan Street,
- "Imbros" Private Hospital at 33 Scallan Street,
- "St. Burford" Private Hospital at 9 Seaby Street.
- "Taranaki" Private Hospital at 18 Seaby Street,
- "Boonah" Private Hospital at 19 Allen Crescent [Alfred Lane]
- "Euston" Private Hospital in Allen Crescent [Alfred Lane]
- Unnamed Private Hospital at 27 Skene Street.
Perhaps the most well-known of all the private hospitals was "Boonah" at 19 Allen Crescent.
This hospital operated from 1923 to 1957 and was run by Sister Amy Mabel Davies who was a registered midwife and was renowned for her brisk authoritarian manner.
READ MORE:
"Boonah" was named after the troop ship of the same name which sailed off to the First World War in 1918 with Amy's brother, Albert Davies on board.
The ship was in transit when the war finished and so it was turned around and returned to Australia with Albert on board.
It is believed that "Boonah" was a private hospital for the workers, whilst the adjacent "Euston" Private Hospital was for those for those who were financially well off.
For some years after the closure of the hospital, Sister Davies took in elderly men who needed nursing home care.
The building next door to the Lutheran Church at 27 Scallan Street was the "St Leonards" Private Hospital and was for many years run by Nurse Margaret Booth.
OTHER NEWS:
In 1922, she sold the hospital to a Sister Anderson.
The hospital was purchased by the next door Lutheran Church in 1957 for use as their Sunday School.
Mrs May Chapman, who was the daughter of Nurse Booth at "St Leonards" owned and ran the "Imbros" Private Hospital in the 1930's and 1940's at 33 Scallan Street, corner of Allen Crescent.
In 1900 the "St Burford" Private Hospital was established at 9 Seaby Street, Corner Luke Street, under the direction of Matron M.R. Dunster.
It was formerly known as "Crothers House" having been built for William Crothers in 1869.
By 1922 the house was occupied by a Mr. T. D. Lee who was a Chinese Herbalist.
From the early 1920's, the house at 18 Seaby Street was being used as the "Taranaki" Private Hospital.
On October 9, 1926, Sister Pickford advertised in the Stawell News that she was available for midwifery and general nursing at the "Taranaki" Private HospitaI.
It is known that the house at 27 Skene Street, owned by a George Maunder, was a private hospital in 1919 when his first wife Jessie, died there.
Maunder later married Nurse Janet Rowe who ran the hospital in the ensuing years.
If you can see this message, you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Stawell Times-News, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and for allowing us to continue telling Stawell's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great town.
